Tokyo: Tadanaobu Asano Heads Trio of Japanese APN Awards Winners
Acting star Tadanobu Asano was named as one of three recipients of the annual Asia Pacific Producers’ Network awards in Tokyo today.
Two other recipients — also both from Japan — were director Isao Yukisada and young actress Nanami Sakuraba.
A superstar on home turf , with credits including “Ichi The Killer,” and “The Blind Swordsman Zatoichi,” and Koji Fukada’s “Harmonium” currently in theaters Asano has also built an enviable career in Hollywood. His stateside appearances include “Thor” and “Battleship.” He next appears in Martin Scorsese’s upcoming “Silence.”
The APN was started in 2006 and attempts to encourage co-production and cross-border cooperation within the Asian region.
Sakuraba, who stars in upcoming John Woo movie “Manhunt,” showed off her recently acquired linguistic skills, and accepted her award with speeches in fluent Japanese, Chinese and Korean.
Isao was previously responsible for 2004 smash hit romance “Crying Out Love in the Center of the World.” But he said that since then he has turned towards making less commercial fare. “I’ve had to turn to co-production because it is no longer possible to finance my films in Japan,” he said from the stage. But added that he was not discouraged. “Every time I go abroad encounter new conditions and I learn new things.”
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